NE 431: Radiation Protection

Course Outline:

Review of Nuclear, Atomic Physics
Bohr’s atom, excitation, ionization, basics of wave mechanics, the Nucleus, binding energies, alpha, beta decay, gamma emission
Radioactive Decay
Review of basic concepts (half-life, decay constant, description of radioactive decay), series decay, statistics of decay
Interaction of Heavy Charged Particles with Matter
Energy-Loss mechanisms, Bethe’s formula, scaling of stopping powers, range, slowing-down time
Interactions of Electrons with Matter
Energy-Loss mechanisms, collisional and radiative stopping power, radiation yield, range (straggling)
Interactions of Photons with Matter
Interaction mechanisms, photoelectric effect, Compton effect, pair production, cross sections, attenuation, energy transfer and absorption coefficients
Neutrons
Classification of neutrons, neutron sources, interactions with matter (elastic, inelastic scattering), slowing down, fission ( induced, spontaneous), nuclear reactions.
Radiation Detection
Ionization in gases, semiconductors, scintillators ( organic, inorganic), detector types, detection of neutrons, statistics for radiation detection
Radiation Dosimetry
Review of quantities and units, exposure and dose measurements, alpha, beta, photon neutron dose calculations, external, internal dosimetry, dosimetric models
Biological Effects and Radiation Protection
Acute, late effects, genetic, teratogenic effects, human and animal data on radiation effects, risk estimation, radiation protection standards


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